ART & COMMERCE

By Alan Gottesman





Spin Spin Cordiant is trying to put a positive interpretation on its plan to spin off its two main advertising agency networks, Saatchi & Saatchi and Bates, into separate companies. It will ‘energize the operators in the networks and unlock the considerable potential residing in our businesses,’ according to a company statement. Those objectives, of course, are what holding-company managements get paid to do, and have achieved with success in most cases. Not here, although the hopeful rationale is about as candid an admission of failure as we’re likely to see.